Geranium problems & how to fix them

Pelargonium × hortorum

Drooping, yellowing, brown tips, or a plant that just won’t thrive? Here are the most common Geranium problems, what usually causes them, and how to turn things around.

Common problems

Root rot

Thick, semi-succulent stems rot quickly in soggy soil — the main killer. A fungal or bacterial infection of the roots, almost always triggered by soil staying wet too long. Caught early, most plants recover within a few weeks after repotting; if most roots are already mushy, recovery is uncertain.

Etiolation (insufficient light)

In weak light stems stretch, flop, and stop flowering. The plant is stretching toward light it isn't getting: long gaps between leaves, pale thin growth, and leaning. Stretched growth never compacts again, but with more light all new growth comes in full and sturdy - the plant's future is good.

Example of etiolated seedlings stretching pale toward the light, on another plant — Example on another plant
etiolated seedlings stretching pale toward the light
Photo: சஞ்சீவி சிவகுமார் · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Fungal leaf spot

Water splashed on the foliage in still air encourages leaf spots and botrytis. A fungal infection that creates dark spots inside leaf tissue, often with yellow halos, and spreads through water splash on wet leaves. Existing spots will not heal, but with pruning and drier foliage the spread usually stops within two to three weeks.

Example of Cercospora leaf spots with dark rims on a spinach leaf, on another plant — Example on another plant
Cercospora leaf spots with dark rims on a spinach leaf
Photo: Plant pests and diseases · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Overwatering

It prefers to run a bit dry; constant moisture yellows the lower leaves. The soil is staying wet longer than the plant can handle, starving roots of oxygen. If caught before roots start rotting, the fix is simple - let the soil dry out and adjust the routine - and most plants bounce back within 2-3 weeks.

Example of a yellowing lower leaf on a potted Chinese evergreen, on another plant — Example on another plant
a yellowing lower leaf on a potted Chinese evergreen
Photo: Saurav9656 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The mistakes that most often kill it

Overwatering, which rots the fleshy stems from the base up.
Wet foliage plus poor air circulation leading to grey mold.
Deep shade — it survives briefly but stretches and collapses.

Not sure what’s wrong?

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